Irish Sports Daily

Every day he works out, class-of-2012 receiver prospect Gehrig Dieter (South Bend, Ind./Washington) gets an in-your-face reminder of what it takes to be a high-end Division-I football player.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Dieter appears close to reaching that level himself.

Dieter’s head coach is Antwon Jones, a former Notre Dame defensive lineman (1996-99) that serves the South Bend community as a police officer. His receiver’s coach is former Irish pass catcher Jay Johnson (1997-00), who is wrapping up getting his teaching license, and his secondary coach is former Irish safety Jarvis Edison (1994-97), now a local salesman. Jones demands that all of his assistants workout and interact with the players.

“We don’t just lift and run with them,” Jones stated. “In the off-season, we’ll get on the mats and wrestle with the kids. When we do our swimming, we’re doing it. Basketball, same thing.

“You look at some of those guys, Jarvis looks like he still could play, and Jay looks like a linebacker, receiver. We can still get down and dirty.”

Dieter can too.

As a sophomore, he caught 63 passes for 1,167 yards and 15 touchdowns, helping lead the Panthers to their first conference title since 1975. Dieter posted bigger numbers than fellow area receiver Daniel Smith (South Bend, IN/Clay), who signed with the Irish in February.

Very early in the recruiting process, Dieter is hearing from most of the schools in the Big Ten and Mid-American Conferences, and Notre Dame is also giving the local playmaker a look.

While working out, Dieter himself looks at guys like Johnson and Edison, and it pushes him to give every ounce of energy he has for the task at hand.

“We have probably the best coaching staff in Indiana,” Dieter said. “They’ve been in this situation before, and they were all recruited very highly, and they know what’s going on.

“They just help me by telling me what they did in certain situations, and to just keep working hard. They say everyone else is going to work hard, so you have to push yourself to work harder. They know a lot of drills, and they know what to do in certain situations, and they know drills for what I need to work on.”

Dieter added that the Washington staff has raised his competitiveness to another level, and he’s taken that attitude on the road to recent camps at Ohio State and Notre Dame.

“I think one of the biggest things with him is he’s reliable,” Jones said. “He has great hands. We know if we need a big play, he’s going to catch the ball, and he runs good routes. He doesn’t rely on his speed, he makes sure he runs good routes, and he’s a big-play possession receiver if there is one. He can make a possession reception, and turn it into a big play and go 70 yards with his size and strength.

Last Thursday, Irish receivers coach Tony Alford saw some of the things Jones was talking about. Following his workout for the Notre Dame one-day camp, Alford asked Dieter and class-of-2011 receiver Kenny Knight (Beverly Hills, Mich./Detroit Country Day) to stay late and go through a few more drills.

“It was real good,” Dieter said. “He told me that I was doing everything great, and all I needed to work on was staying low and work on my speed.

Last fall, Dieter posted more prolific numbers than future Notre Dame receiver Daniel Smith.

Following his final season at Venice, Clay Burton will be chasing QBs in an Irish uniform.

Four-star outside linebacker/defensive end Clay Burton (Venice, Fla./Venice) didn’t need much time away from Notre Dame, to know that’s where he wants to spend the college chapter of his life.

A little under a week after departing from his first-ever visit to the South Bend campus, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Burton pulled the trigger, verbally committing to Notre Dame. He chose the Irish over his other favorites, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.

“I just slept on it for about a week, and counseled with everyone important to me, my mom, my brother, my uncle, my grandmother, and all my high school coaches, and I decided it was the best fit for me and the perfect time to get it off my shoulders and relax," Burton explained. "They’re all happy about it, and so proud of me.”

Burton becomes the 10th verbal commit in Notre Dame’s recruiting class-of-2011, and the second linebacker, joining Jarrett Grace (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain). Burton will play the CAT linebacker spot in the Irish defense, the same position currently occupied by junior Darius Fleming.

“I called coach (Tony) Alford, and talked to him and coach (Bob) Diaco and coach (Kerry) Cooks, and I’ll be talking to coach (Brian) Kelly tonight,” Burton said. As a junior he registered 80 tackles and 12 sacks. “They’re excited about it and told me to celebrate. Now, I’m just ready to finish this summer, and finish my high school season, and get up there in December and earn my spot.”

Burton was close to committing last Saturday while he was on his three-day visit to Notre Dame with his uncle, but he wanted to talk it over with the rest of his family before making the call.

“Just the culmination of the football and tradition there, the education, and the great coaching staff they have in place now," Burton said of what drove him to his decision. "I’m just a perfect fit in the defense, and I feel no reason to visit anywhere else or talk to anyone else. I’m solid with my commitment.

“I’m so honored to even have the opportunity, and I’m definitely ready to help bring Notre Dame nation to where it should be. I want to be part of the revival of the program.”

Burton sees that ending in the National Championship game against his older brother Trey, currently a freshman quarterback at Florida.

“I’m looking forward to it. It would probably be one of the best days in my life. I’m just trying to work hard and just getting ready to start my career and legacy at Notre Dame.”

Besides his favorites, Burton had scholarship offers from the likes of Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, LSU Ole’ Miss, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford, South Florida and West Virginia.

Clemson has gotten their summer off to a great start by adding six commitments this month including one from ESPN’s top ranked wide receiver.

Charone Peake is 6-foot-3, 191-pounder from nearby Roebuck, S.C. Peake has good size and speed which helped him earn an early invite to the 2011 Under Armour All American Game. Along with being ranked as the No.1 wide receiver by ESPN, he is also their No. 12 overall prospect. Georgia, Florida, and USC were among the dozens of schools to offer Peake.

Adam Humphries, a teammate of Peake at Dorman High School in Roebuck, also committed to the Tigers. Listed as an athlete, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder could wind up as a wide receiver or cornerback. His only other offer came from Furman.

While the Tigers got a big time playmaker at receiver in Peake, they also got a top running back in Mike Bellamy of Punta Gorda, Fla. As a junior the 5-foot-10, 176-pound Bellamy rushed for 2,156 yards and 31 touchdowns. Also an Under Armour All American, Bellamy is ESPN’s No. 7 running back and No. 83 player regardless of position. An indication of what a coup it was for Clemson to get Bellamy is that he is a Florida kid that had offers from Florida and Florida State as well as scholarships from Alabama, LSU, and Georgia.

Clemson also landed two offensive tackles in Joe Gore of Lake Waccamaw, N.C. and Isaiah Battle of St. George, Va. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Gore had offers from Stanford, South Carolina, and Maryland while 6-foot-6, 260-pound Battle also considered New Mexico and East Carolina.

Clemson’s other commit came from 5-foot-11, 175-pound safety Geraldo Orta of Valdosta, Ga. Orta chose Clemson over Tennessee, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Ohio State has also had a strong June getting ESPN’s No. 2 quarterback, Braxton Miller, and two other highly sought after recruits. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder from Huber Heights, Ohio threw for over 1,000 yards in 2009 and rushed for nearly 500. He accounted for 27 total touchdowns. ESPN’s No. 16 overall prospect had been considered a heavy Ohio State lean for a long time, but he also looked at Florida, Notre Dame, and Alabama.

Evan Spencer’s father, Tim, is a former Buckeye, so it is no surprise that the 6-foot-0, 178 pound wide receiver from Vernon Hills, Ill. committed to Ohio State. A future Under Armour All American, ESPN’s No. 18 wide receiver, and No. 104 in their top 150 rankings, Spencer waited until after Miller’s announcement to make his decision public, even though it was as much of a mystery as Miller’s choice. Spencer had offers from Notre Dame, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

The Buckeyes also added some strength to their defensive line in the person of Joel Hale of Greenwood, Ind. A strong, aggressive player, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Hale could potentially end up as an offensive guard if it does not work out at defensive tackle. All of the major services list Hale as a three-star prospect, but his offer list is quite impressive for someone with that ranking. Florida, Penn State, Michigan, and Georgia Tech all made a run at Hale.

Once again, Northwestern High School in Miami is good to the University of Miami. The Hurricanes recently added two ESPN 150 commitments from Northwestern: a quarterback and his favorite target. Teddy Bridgewater, a 6-foot-2, 179-pounder, is a terrific athlete that threw for 2,546 yards and 32 scores as a junior while rushing for over 400 yards and eight touchdowns. Miami beat out all the SEC powers (Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU) to get Bridgewater.

35 of Bridgewater’s completions went to fellow Hurricane commit Eli Rogers. Those receptions totaled 551 yards and 11 touchdowns. A second team All-Dade County receiver, the 5-foot-10, 178-pound Rogers had offers from Louisville and Central Florida.

Georgia added two versatile performers that can help them in many ways. Zachary Witchett is listed as ESPN’s No. 15 athlete and is at No. 122 on the ESPN 150 list. He will probably get his first look as a receiver though playing in the secondary is not out of the question. The Atlanta native picked Georgia over West Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota, and South Carolina.

6-foot-2, 185-pound Nick Marshall is a quarterback at Wilcox County High School in Rochelle, Ga. It is possible that he could be a signal caller in college, but he has the athletic ability to play any of the skill positions. Georgia will get him on campus and see where he fits in best. The Bulldogs did well to get him, fighting off challenges from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee.

It has been a rough week for USC. The NCAA nailed them with a two-year bowl ban and a reduction of 30 scholarships as a result of the improprieties in the Reggie Bush affair. Being able to take just 15 recruits a year for the next three recruiting cycles, one would expect Lane Kiffin and his staff to be very selective. That makes the commitment of Marcus Martin very interesting.

Martin is a 6-foot-3, 351-pound offensive lineman from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. He is a good player, but his size alone makes him a big time project. He needs to get into much better physical condition to be a contributor for the Trojans. He is the eighth commitment for USC this year and their first offensive lineman. With the limited scholarships available, the thinking was that USC would be looking for versatile linemen that have the ability to play in multiple spots if needed. Martin’s frame and skill set, though, pigeon hole him at guard. He is a good one, as offers from Washington, Arizona, UCLA, and Utah prove.